Ramaphosa not happy with state of Joburg, yet defends 'window dressing for visitors'

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his dismay at the state of the City of Johannesburg, saying he was “not very pleased”.

Addressing an oversight visit of national government to Gauteng before the much-anticipated G20 summit with world leaders to be hosted in the province, the president took a swipe at what he observed to be substandard in the Johannesburg metro.

“Of the two meetings I attended, the environment was not very pleasuring. I say this so that we can improve immensely,” he said.

“As South Africans we are a proud people. Let us get that self-pride to lift us up so we present a G20 that will wow people. This is so that when people look at what we offer they just say 'wow, this is how South Africans do it'.”

Ramaphosa defended Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero, who came under criticism this week after admitting his administration will “prioritise G20 routes” in the refurbishment of the city’s infrastructure.

“As we do in African tradition, when visitors come we make sure our abode, poor as it might be, becomes presentable and gives a good-look feel. The hospitality we roll out, the friendly disposition, must be there.”

The G20 will manifest itself in almost 130 meetings, with some taking place in Gauteng, in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and possibly also in Sedibeng. Ramaphosa urged Gauteng to pull up its socks and use this moment to defend its title as the host province.

“As these meetings happen, it is the opportunity for Gauteng to gear up and demonstrate we did not make a mistake when we chose Gauteng to be the host of the G20. You need to show we were correct in identifying Gauteng and particularly Johannesburg to be the host and it should be seen as such. This is because as people come here they land at OR Tambo [airport], go through Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and then come for meetings in Johannesburg, so it is a Gauteng G20. It therefore requires that Gauteng showcase itself to the world, whose eyes will be focused on Gauteng.”

According to the president, when his cabinet attends global gatherings of a similar nature, they are impressed by the state of other cities, which should prompt his country to want to perform well.

“Johannesburg and Gauteng must be at its best in terms of the physical and environmental presentation and the built-up environment where the meetings are going to take place. I say so because when we go to other locales around the world to hold meetings, we find those places are in tip-top [condition and position] where those countries are able to showcase what they are able to offer. That doesn’t end there, there is an opportunity for tourism to flow.”

Ramaphosa said he usually promotes the South African experience to first-time visitors to the country, often telling them their lives were incomplete before they set foot on Mzansi’s shores. “But in saying that, I need to be boastful about something that is real. So I’m making a call to Gauteng and all its metros: let us make them presentable. We are the presidency of the G20, all of us, collectively — and as we are going to be getting visitors throughout the year let us make our province and country presentable.

“For the name of Johannesburg and Gauteng to be inscribed into the history of the world we will leave here with a declaration that deals with a number of key issues that affect what happens in the world. Johannesburg needs to create the necessary environment and the necessary conditions for us to be able to proudly say, 'yes, South Africa and Johannesburg and Gauteng once hosted the G20'.”

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